"This can't be real, Shayla. This can't be. We must have eaten something, or drunk something on your stupid reserve. There is no way this is real." Shayla rolled her eyes at Riley, hearing this explanation for the fourteenth time, amongst a dozen other explanations over the past two days.
Two days for Riley to begin to accept the circumstances they were in; two days for her to admit that something extraordinary had happened, but being the stubborn human being that she was, she refused to admit it. The day on the balcony was difficult for not only Riley, but for Shayla too.
Riley had stopped crying as soon as she had let Shayla and Amelia see her with eyes brimmed with tears, and was unsurprisingly vocal as Amelia explained what had been explained to Shayla almost a week before. Several outbursts and almost an hour later, Amelia had convinced them both to go back to her chambers, with Shayla keeping close to Amelia, shoulders hunched and fingers scratching her palms, and Riley stalking several feet behind them, her whole aura seeping with rage.
That had been two full days ago now. Apart from reluctantly going down to the bathing springs with Shayla to clean up, Riley had made herself scarce by staying in the room that they had been sleeping in. However, Amelia and Oin had other ideas and insisted on checking over her injuries, despite Riley telling them repeatedly to shove their help where the sun didn't shine.
Riley's attitude towards the entire situation was taking its toll on Shayla; she could only tell her friend so many times that she wasn't dreaming, that she wasn't imagining it, that she hadn't died and that they hadn't been drugged. When Riley was sleeping, which was still quite frequently, Shayla would leave the room and sit on one of the old armchairs that rested in front of the fireplace within the main living area. Sometimes others were around and sometimes she was by herself, but she quite enjoyed her own company so that she could just think. The only thing that would make it nicer was if there was a window to look out of, or better yet, a grassy field to lay in.
"How long is it going to take you to realise this is all real," Shayla sighed exasperatedly as she sat cross-legged on the bed she slept in, fiddling with the fabric of the blanket she was sitting on.
"Forever, because it isn't real. It doesn't feel real." Shayla rolled her eyes once more, feeling as though they had well and truly rolled from her skull by now.
"So, your gashed-up leg doesn't feel real?" Riley huffed and sent Shayla a deadpan look, leaning against the wall of her bed with her arms crossed tightly across her chest and her injured leg stretched out slightly to her left.
"Of course it does, twat, but it's not real. There's no such thing as different realms or Dwarves or any of this. It can't be."
"Well, whatever suits you Riley. I don't know how to help you accept this, so I'm going out to have dinner with the others." Fear flashed across Riley's eyes but quickly disappeared, and even though her response was laced with her usual snark, Shayla saw straight through it.
"Sure, so I'm not good enough to eat dinner with. Like I care." Shayla unwrapped her legs and stood up, stretching herself out.
"No," Shayla almost drawled, eyeing Riley with annoyance, "But sitting in here eating every meal with your miserable ass is making me miserable, and I'm supposed to be the optimistic one. Besides, they want to help us, and they are our best bet at getting back home." Shayla moved to open the door, when Riley called out from behind her.
"Bring me back some food, thanks." Shayla opened the door and turned to Riley, whispering her frustrations so that no one else would hear.
"I'm not bringing you back anything. If you want to eat, you can come out here and be thankful to the people that saved your life." With that, Shayla closed the door on a fuming Riley and walked back down the corridor towards the voices she could hear.
She had known that it was close to dinner time by the voices that begun to sound out towards their room, not to mention the fact that her stomach had been rumbling for the past half hour in reminder.
Shayla recognised most of the voices before she rounded the corner into the dining area, though the conversations were more loud and boisterous than they usually were, which indicated to her that there was either more people at dinner than she realised, or there was quite a lot of alcohol. Despite knowing that she was okay to wander through the areas and make herself at home, Shayla always poked her head around the corner to double check that she would be welcome.
As she saw Amelia, Fili, Kili, Bilbo, Josh, Ori, Dori and Gimli, she knew that she was okay to join, though she didn't realise until she had begun to walk to the table that there were several faces she did not recognise.
"Miss Shayla!" Kili called out, standing up to allow her a seat at the slightly crowded table. "Come, sit, I've already eaten." Kili's scarred face lit up with a huge grin as Shayla thanked him and sat down, smiling nervously at the new faces that were looking at her with obvious curiosity.
Shayla wasn't the only one who noticed.
"Fain, Jessika, if you don't close your mouth you're going to catch flies." Amelia had an eyebrow cocked at the two young individuals down the other end of the table, who were probably around the same age as Shayla.
"Why in Durin's beard would they want to catch flies?" Gimli questioned, his tone laced with disgust at the thought of such an activity. Kili snorted and Amelia sighed as though it wasn't the first time she had to explain something to Gimli.
"It's just a saying from my old home, Gimli. It's like the saying, 'to cut off your nose to spite the face.' You don't actually cut off your nose, it's just an expression." Gimli frowned at both Amelia's explanation and Kili's attempt to hide his laughter.
"Well, that is quite idiotic." Kili couldn't control himself any longer and burst out with laughter, replying to Gimli as he left the room to sit by the fireplace.
"Sounds like you understand idiodicy completely, Gimli." Fain and Jessika started snorting with laughter down the other end of the table, while Gimli turned as red as a tomato.
"Anyway," Amelia interjected, going back to the point of the conversation. "Jessika, Fain, this is Shayla, the human from my world that I spoke to you about. Shayla, these are my children. They have been staying with Kili while yourself and Riley have been settling. Stay away from them if you can, they are bad influences." Shayla smiled at their protests to that assumption, Amelia providing them with reasons such as their drinking habits to support her cause, while Fili smirked behind a tankard of something that smelt suspiciously like alcohol.
"Well, good evening!" A drawling voice rung throughout the room, as heads turned towards the offender.
A man, though Shayla supposed he must be a Dwarf, swaggered into the room with a strange hat atop his head and an eccentric coloured scarf wrapped around his neck. His moustache was upturned at the corners, as were the braids of hair that poked out from beneath the flaps of his hat.
"Bofur!" Gimli called, grabbing his arm from across the table and slapping him on the back. Dori, Ori and Bilbo moved over to allow room for the new person, whose attention drew quickly over to Shayla. With a wide smirk, he introduced himself.
"Hello lass! My name is Bofur, it is a pleasure to finally meet the human that everyone is talking about!" That threw off Shayla slightly, but she smiled back nonetheless and reached his outstretched hand with her own.
Bofur held her hand tightly within his own and shook it up and down with much more effort and enthusiasm than required.
"Amelia, Josh, how was that?" Shayla let go of his hand and turned to the two in question with a perplexed expression visible on her face. Josh was trying not to laugh and Amelia was smirking, but replied quickly.
"That's better, but you need to stop throwing their arm about otherwise I'll be repositioning a dislocated shoulder." Turning to Shayla, Amelia quickly explained. "Bofur has been waiting to try the human hand shake as a greeting as soon as he heard that there were more humans from our world. Sorry about that." Shalya smiled nervously at Amelia and back at Bofur.
"It's nice to meet you," Shayla replied quietly and quickly looking back to the food laid before her so that she wouldn't stare at his strange attire. While the conversations continued around her, Shayla sent a small smile to Bilbo who sat on the other side of the table a few spots down. He had glanced up from the book Ori and himself were looking over to grab a piece of cheese and smiled back when he caught Shayla's gaze, his bright blonde hair falling past his blue eyes.
The presence of mostly familiar faces meant that Shayla could relax, though she just listened to and observed those around her rather than participate for the better part of the evening. Fain and Jessika, she realised, were the two that she had seen in a drinking contest over a week earlier. They sat and talked with their Uncle, Josh, who sat next to Amelia and Fili. Shayla was sat next to Fili, with Gimli on her left side, and Bofur, Dori, Ori and Bilbo on the other side of the table.
Shayla felt like the scene was oddly familiar, and when she realised why it made her heart ache. She had a huge family, and traditional ceremonies or events were largely reminiscent of what she was currently experiencing. It made her long for her parents and grandparents even more. Even if her father knew that she was alive, he would have known that something was awfully wrong. He would be able to feel it; his connection to their land ran so deep that he always knew when something wasn't right. Usually it would be things like pollution of one of the water ways from factory chemical run off, or when a population of bird or frog species seemed to be struggling, but not something like trans-dimensional realm travel.
The thought of her mother and father searching for her fuelled the embers that had been smouldering within her heart, her determination burning anew as she contemplated what Amelia had said they needed to do to get back home.
After a while the dining area cleared; Dori, Ori and Gimli went back to their respective chambers, Josh went back to a place called Dale where he lived with his wife and children, and Bilbo went to his own room to continue reading the old book that he had been studying with Ori. Amelia and Fili had also left, moving into the kitchen area as they spoke lowly to each other and stealing glances at Shayla.
Shayla felt relieved when Kili came back from the living room and sat down next to her, smiling lazily as he stored a pipe back into a pouch within his fur coat. It was a conversation that Fain and Jessika were having with Bofur that attracted her attention from Kili.
"The tournament is only one moon away, therefore we need to increase our training regime. Do you think that Bifur will train with us?" Fain inquired, sitting with his arm across the table as he spoke to Bofur from the same side.
"Aye, I'm sure he will not mind. I will send him down to the training field once he has finished his tasks in the workshop." Bofur took a gulp of the contents within his flagon, wiping the remnants from his moustache.
"What is this tournament?" Shayla piped up, curious but still quite nervous, as she looked between Bofur and the twins with wide eyes.
"It is the annual Durin's Tournament. Only the most skilled Dwarvish fighters enter the tournament, which is why I am curious as to why Fain is even entering." Fain turned to his sister and scowled at her, his mouth opening to retaliate before Shayla cut in with another question.
"What type of fighting?" Fain was still glaring at his sister so Jessika replied instead.
"Many different types. Fain is entering the dagger throwing and fighting category, much to Father's delight, and I am entering the swordsmanship category. It is our first tournament. We have tried to enter the past four years but with our being only half-Dwarven- "
"And Jessika being a woman, they were against us competing. It's utter troll-barf, some of these traditions." Jessika nodded her head in agreement, a frown on her face.
"It took seven years of us petitioning the Elders to allow us to join." Jessika continued.
"More like complaining," Kili replied, smirking at them both. "Couldn't get either of you to shut up about it!"
"I seem to remember you being the one to encourage us in our complaining, Uncle Kili." Fain deadpanned, sending a glare his way.
An idea came to Shayla, and before she could think it through, she voiced her question out loud.
"Could you train me?" Each one of them stared at her, and she blanched momentarily, trying not to shrink under their gazes. "Well, I mean, Riley too, but when she is better. Amelia said that we should learn how to fight so that we can be prepared when we go and meet the Elves, to try and get home."
The silence made Shayla think that once again that she was being pranked, but Jessika responded before anyone else.
"Of course. We could spare an hour each day to help train you, couldn't we Fain?" She said, nudging him in the ribs with her elbow. He stared at Shayla hard, but finally nodded, his blue eyes piercing Shayla's dark ones.
"We can. Are you sure you're up for it, Shayla? What fighting techniques have you learnt so far?" Shayla suddenly seemed inadequate, as she shook her head and replied.
"Uh, none..." Jessika and Fain shared a look before both Kili and Bofur spoke up.
"Oi, you two. Remember that Shayla is from your mother's home world. They don't have the need for learning how to fight and how to wield weapons," Kili said, giving them a hard look.
"Aye. Their world is not made up of the same monsters that we must learn to defeat here." Bofur continued, raising an eyebrow at the twins as he leaned back in his chair.
"Fair. Everyone starts from somewhere. Would you like to start tomorrow morning?" Fain responded slightly uncomfortably. "We won't be able to train extensively though, we still need to train for our tournament." Shayla nodded and Kili nudged her arm lightly.
"I will help you train as well, Miss Shayla. I have seen Josh begin in this world without any training, to become a fierce warrior. We will make a fighter of you, I'm sure."
"Over my dead body." A voice called from behind Bofur and the twins, causing Shayla to jump, unaware of Riley's approach.
Riley stood out from the dim light of the corridor, her stony and defiant eyes trained on Kili. There was a tense silence for several moments before Bofur stood from his seat and turned to greet Riley, an enormous grin on his face.
"Evening! Bofur, at your service." Riley just stared at the horribly annoying man that was standing before her, and to her surprise he didn't even blanch when she refused to take his hand. Without skipping a beat, he bowed from the waist so low that Shayla thought his hat might fall off.
"It is a pleasure to meet you." Bofur stood back up and continued smiling at her with eyes full of cheer. Riley proceeded to ignore him as she walked past him to the table where Shayla was sat with Kili. Without even a glance towards Jessika and Fain, Riley grabbed a spare plate and started piling it up with food as she continued.
"You're not training anyone, Scarface. You can stay away from Shayla. We are going home, that's all there is to it, so you can bugger off with your help."
Shayla felt Kili tense up next to her, and she saw Bofur's cheerful expression fall at her words. Riley looked up at Shayla as she picked up her plate of food.
"Come on, Shayla." Shayla glared at her, feeling the anger boil within her. She had never been so angry at anyone in her life, but the way that Riley was treating every single person around her was causing her to lose control of her usual optimistic and kind nature.
"No, Riley." Riley turned back around, anger flashing across her eyes as she stood up taller and Shayla swore she could feel the wrath radiating from her like heat.
"What, you would rather be out here with these freaks than with your friend?" Shayla stood up so suddenly from her seat that she almost scared herself in the process. She wasn't enjoying what Riley's attitude was doing to her own temperament and mentality.
"These people are helping us to get home, Riley! They saved your life, if you don't remember! What is your issue?" Riley almost took a step back, the hurt and anger in Shayla's eyes almost enough to make her concede and apologise for the way that she was acting.
Almost.
"My issue is that this is your fault, Shayla. All of it." With that, Riley stuck her nose in the air, spun on her heel and walked from dining area, slamming the bedroom door as she returned to her bed.
Shayla sat down heavily as an immense pressure pressed itself downwards within her chest and stomach. Tears welled in her eyes, and Bofur piped up first, regaining his own chirpy composure.
"Don't worry lass, I'm sure she doesn't mean what she said. It is quite an ordeal to go through." Shayla nodded dejectedly, not looking up from the piece of meat she stared at in front of her. She was broken from her state when Kili rested a hand on her shoulder, reinforcing Bofur's words.
"He is right, Miss Shayla. Some take it harder than others. She just needs time." Fili and Amelia emerged from the kitchen at that point, Amelia looking at Shayla worriedly and Fili sharing a look with Kili.
"Kee, I think you should let Miss Shayla stay in the spare room within your chambers. It seems that Miss Riley may need time and space to adjust to her new environment." Kili nodded and stood, as did Jessika and Fain.
"Come, Miss Shayla. We will get you settled into our chamber. It is comfortable, I swear on Durin's beard, and the spare room has its own heath." Shayla attempted to smile at his kindness, but she felt the furthest away from wanting to smile.
It felt as though when she thought that the earth couldn't fracture and unbalance her footing anymore, that it decided to crumble completely underneath her instead.
At this point, she would much rather the earth swallow her up entirely.